Burning Down
by toe walker
Summary: Does not have to do with any book! It is a project for my ss class that i wanted to turn into a ff. Basicly, its about a girl whose family is right in the path of sherman's march to the sea during the civil war. i need comments! first ff!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello fanfictioners! This is my first fan fiction and it doesn't have anything to do with any book or show or anything... Pretty much this is a huge project for my social studies class. It is a bunch of journal entries of a person who is directly in the path of Sherman's march to the sea. This is just the 1st 3 journal entries, not the whole thing! I only have a couple written now... WARNING! THE 1ST CHAPTER IS NOT AS GOOD AS OTHER ONES! YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS INFO FOR LATER CHAPTERS! I was hoping that I could get some advice on this! Pleeeeeeeeease review or PM me with advice! I want a good grade! (and to entertain you all)**

September 1, 1864

Hello, my name is Sarah. You are my fathers gift to me for my 16th birthday. I turned 16 today. My father will soon marry me off to some rich plantation owner just like him. Not that I am complaining, but I would like to see some more of the world before I settle down. Of course with the war going on and so many of the men and boys away, I will probably have more time.

In any case, I had an admirable day, my freind Emily, a slave girl a bit younger than I am, snuck away to have a picnic dinner near the field with me. Our friendship is a secret because my mother is not comfortable with me talking to the slaves, much less becoming friends with them.

Eventually I went back home and had a second dinner and cake with my family and eventually opened my single present, You! Usually Griswoldsville Georgia is horrid and dull, but today was spectacular! I must leave you now, my mother is calling me for supper. Until next time, my beloved journal.

-Sarah

September 3, 1864

A man ran into town today. He claimed that the Yankee troops have captured Atlanta and are now planning to destroy the South. Father says that they will never reach Griswoldsvill, I however am not so sure.

I have seen many a man come home with no arm or leg, many a man come home in a coffin, and many a man not come home at all. I have always had pride in my country but I cannot see how people take for granted that we will win this war.

-Sarah

October 6, 1864

I am horribly afraid today. My 14 year old brother. **Fourteen**. Is missing. My mother is in denial, but we all know where he went. He joined the confederate army! The most horrid part is that he doesn't agree with the southern ideas. He left to be rid of my father.

I am the only one who knows the truth. He came to me last night. He told me that he was not joining the confederacy, but the union! I did not argue because in a way, I understand his point of view. Not believing in the south and hating the ideas of my father. If I were a boy, that is what I would do. I only hope that he is not killed by his fellow countrymen.

-Sarah

**Pleeeeeeeeease r+r! I need help with anything from grammar to small detail help! Please! The chapters get better as they go along. Promise!**

**-toe walker**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my beloved readers. Thanks for showing up! Just so you know, if you are just jumping on this story now, I need reviews! Not just on this chapter, but on all of them. This is not just a ff. It is a school project that I neeeeeeed a good grade on. So review! Yaaaaaaaay! This will probably not be a very long story unless you want me to continue after I'm done with what I need for my project. I am also brainstorming a pjo or possibly hunger games fanfic but we shall see... Sorry for the long AN. Happy reading!**

October 18, 1864

The war is going out of hand. Most days we can see smoke out in the distance. Many of us have received word that fathers, husbands, sons, nephews, and uncles have been killed. My brother is never on the list. They also give notice if your relation has deserted. That one, my brother is on.

I almost forgot to mention his name. I keep forgetting that you are new in my life. His name is Willem, but he goes by Will. I also have a 5 month old baby sister. Her name is Abigail We live on a large plantation in the town of Griswoldsville.

My mother is a quiet soul who is the best mother in the confederate states. My father does not hold that title. He gripes about everything and everyone and treats our slaves like dirt. It is horrible. Last week Emily was beaten and was almost killed because she dropped her rag! I understand why Willem left.

October 20, 1864

I have a beautiful idea! I will go to war! Dress up as a man and go into battle for the Union!

The only thing stopping me is little Abigail. I feel like my mother is not sufficient to raise her. She needs her older sister to teach her that life can be a bit unorthodox at times but it is worth it. To tell her where all of the pretty flowers and disgusting frogs hide in the woods and to remind her to keep her stockings up around mother, lest she throw a fit. So I do not think that I will go because of that.

November 4, 1864

Another man came into town today, this man screaming of the horrors that befell his town. He claims that Sherman marched through, burning crops to the ground and burning houses to the ground after taking everything of value.

My father is still sceptical, and refused to allow the man to spend the night in the house.

Father has always been as stubborn as a pack mule, but can usually see sense if it is presented to him on a silver platter, but now, when it really matters, he refuses to understand that we could all soon be burned to ashes

November 20, 1864

So many men have run into town, claiming horrors I will not write down. And so many men have been turned away from our house because my father cannot accept the truth.

**Thanks for reading! And thanks to all who have reviewed or will review. Next chapter it will reeeeeally start heating up!**

**R+r!**

**-toe walker**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heeeeeey! Thank you for joining me for another fun day in the life of Sarah. This is the last chapter until you guys tell me otherwise. I realised that I forgot to sign sarah's name on the last chapter, but it is not that big of a deal. I really hope that you enjoy it and please review.**

November 22, 1864

Horrified. That is the only word that I can say that I was this morning. I saw it all. Sherman and his men came marching at dawn when I was with Emily in the fields. We saw them burn down the entire east tobacco field and come marching towards us. We all ran, because we thought it was the angels come down from heaven to take us away. That would have been a mercy compared to what actually happened. They burnt it all to the ground and came toward the slaves and myself.

When we realized who it actually was I rubbed mud on my face and arms so that they would not kill me for owning slaves. When they came to us I remember that General Sherman was so nice. He said, "come with us you are free now." I was very happy for them but also scared for my life. So I snuck away the first chance I got.

I ran into the house and screamed at the top of my lungs that Sherman's army was here. My father grabbed his pistol and ran outside. From the inside I could see all of the other men doing so as well. I grabbed this book and Abigail while running out of the house.

I yelled at my mother to follow me but either she did not hear me or she decided that it was safer to stay in the house. How wrong she was.

I remember in vivid detail everything that happened after that. I saw my brother in the ranks of Sherman's army. Then I saw my father aim and shoot with dead accuracy. It... It... It hit him in the stomach, so that it didn't kill him right away.

And over the sounds of men dying I heard two things. First was my father, screaming the words that my brother would take to his grave. "You, are NOT my son!" The second was my own scream, as I saw, first my brother and then a fue seconds later, my father, killed right before my eyes. That is something I will never be able to forget.

After that, I saw three union troops run into my house and come out with armloads of my mother's treasures. And then, do you know what happened then? I saw them throw a flaming match into the house that mother will now, never leave.

I ran over to the soldiers, and hit one of them right in the face with my baby sister in my arms. I screamed at him for not saving my brother and for destroying my house and for the screams that I could now hear coming out of my house. The men were very confused and were even more so when I bust into tears. They ended up taking me to Sherman after the horrors that befell my town.

It turns out that General Sherman was a very close friend to my brother. After he heard what happened, he apologized for everything and offered to take me and my sister with them. I declined and headed north for the Union.

I didn't realize when I wrote that I wanted to see the world when I first wrote in you that it would actually come true. And now I'm not sure if I want that anymore. Either way my old life has come burning down.

-Sarah

**Whoop! Longest chapter yet! 570 words (not AU!) Thank you for reading! I hope that you enjoyed it! Please review and stay tuned for my next fanfic. **

**-toe walker**


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry if you thought this was a chapter, i am wondering if you want me to go on with this story, because i don't know if i will... it was mainly for school purposes... but if you want me to continue, i will so pm/ review with ideas with how to go on, cause i'm stuck at this point and i honestly don't think i know enough about the civil war to be accurate...


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! So I have decided to write an epilogue for this story and be DONE with it. This will not at all be historically accurate AT ALL because I am short on the time that I would use for research due to finals. If any o y'all are reading my other story (How Can I Get Through This?) I am working on another happier for that... For now, imagine that this is 10 years later... I'm to last to look up the date so deal with it!**

**Disclaimer... Umm there is no need for this. I own every single bit of this story!**

September 1

Hello again. I have not written in you in about 10 years. But here I am. Writing on the anniversary of you. I have read the story that lies in your pages so many times over the years. Your pages are stained with my tears along with the soot that changed my life forever.

Willem is gone forever but I can see him in Abigail every day. My husband and I have raised her along with our own. She has been the best big sister they could hope for. Sam, my husband of 8 years, is the best father. I have 3 little ones of my own. And they are quite enough for me. Willem is my oldest, at 6 named after an uncle that he will never know. Next comes Samantha at 4. Named after my mother. And finally 3 month old Caroline. The first name that is not one of the people that I have lost and symbolic of me finally getting over my losses.

Willed has taken an interest in weather and is often found staring at the sky in the back garden. Hisvneck is sore all of the time and is always complaining. It is so cute!

Samantha is a small version of her name sake. It is hilarious to watch her march around like the queen of England. She never gets enough of tossing her older brother around. He is terrified of her, so I like to which him run around the house doing things for her.

Caroline. She is my little reminder of all of the things that have happened. She looks just as Abigail did during that fateful day. I don't know if I want to forget but I know it is impossible.

**Short and sweet. That's how I like em… not really, I'm just really bad at writing long things… details are hard to come up with! It's not my fault! I'm sorry if it was terrible, I was having issues with it... Yay! No more dead people! Hope you likes it! oh, i turned in the rest of the story (not including this chapter) and i think it was good! Stay tuned for the next chapter in my hg ff if you want!**


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